A Diversity of Efforts

Students, faculty, and staff from Nepal march with their flag in the Parade of Nations.

Diversity of thought and experiences significantly contribute to the learning experience
of all students and for that reason it is important that we track metrics that include,
for instance, international students.

And striving for more diversity in our student, staff, and faculty numbers also means
we are committed to the inclusion of populations in our educational institution who
have been traditionally underrepresented or otherwise disadvantaged, whether through
economic or structural barriers. As of this printing, Tech was at an all-time high
for the number of domestic minority students paying enrollment deposits for Fall 2016
semester.

Looking at our efforts through a social justice lens means we also pay attention to
domestic underrepresented minorities, social economic indicators, and other populations.

A diverse student body is a consummate demand from the employer market. Employers
of Michigan Tech students, and students nationwide, want to recruit from a talent
pool well versed and experienced with diverse populations.

Native American performance at the annual Parade of Nations.

To them, a diverse set of employees means a diverse set of solutions to problems,
increasing the probability of finding the most profitable one.

Promoting all-gender restroom signs and the gender-neutral locker room in the SDC

High school outreach and education on supporting trans and non-binary students

Collaborating with GEAR UP to bring social justice speakers to the Dollar Bay School
to do workshops with students

Supporting diverse students in the classroom: Lunch and Learn with the videos we created
and the presentation on microaggressions

Promoting Inclusive Classrooms Workshops

Hosting Cultural Competency Workshops

Conducting Safe Place Training

Presenting Social Justice Lecture Series

Design Thinking Drives Space to Create

University Innovation (UI) Fellows nationwide are changing the way students think.
UI Fellows at Michigan Tech and across the nation are teaching a fresh mindset known
as design thinking, a methodology that helps users identify human-centered problems
and imagine and implement innovative solutions through experimentation.

The UI Fellows also sponsored an extremely popular Makerspace Workshop that generated
enthusiasm for creation of a permanent makerspace. Based on input received from the
more than 100 workshop participants, the UI Fellows have been working with the Makerspace
Committee to develop some renderings of the space and estimates for the renovations.

There are seven UI Fellows at Michigan Tech, including four who finished their training
last fall. The new fellows are Michelle Hoard, a senior in chemical engineering; Carly
Joseph, a third-year biomedical engineering major; Nichole Mackey, a second-year student
in software engineering; and Nate Peterson, a senior in materials science and engineering.

Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UI Fellows program is administered
by the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation Program, also known
as the Epicenter. It is run by Stanford University and nonprofit VentureWell.

Colleen Mouw received the Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) for Scientists
and Engineers.

It is the highest honor bestowed by the US government on science and engineering professionals
in the early stages of their independent research careers. “These early-career scientists
are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate
change to our health and wellness,” President Obama said.

We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve
as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people,” he
said. Nominations come from federal agencies who support the young scientists’ and
engineers’ research. Mouw was nominated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA).

US Senator from Michigan, Gary Peters, echoed Obama’s praise.

“I join in congratulating Dr. Colleen Mouw on her receipt of the Presidential Early
Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is a true testament to her commitment
to marine science and pursuit of innovative research,” he said. “Her efforts to keep
the Great Lakes safe are profoundly benefiting the millions of Michiganders that rely
on the Lakes for clean drinking water and as drivers of economic growth through tourism,
recreation, shipping, and so much more.”

“I’m very humbled to be recognized in this way,” Mouw said. "I’ve been fortunate to
have worked with many fantastic colleagues over the years who undoubtedly deserve
this recognition just as much as myself."

The awards were established by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Awardees are selected
for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology
and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership,
public education, or community outreach. Mouw received her award during a Washington,
DC, ceremony at the White House in May.

Johnson-Cash's PhD a First for ME-EM Program

Robin Johnson-Cash '15, the first African American to earn a PhD from the Department
of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.

Robin Johnson-Cash ’15 is the first African American to earn a PhD from the Department
of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Johnson-Cash graduated in December
2015 and has worked at Ford Motor Company since 1988. She is currently the technical
training manager.

Students Set up Mobile Health Clinics, Mentor on Spring Break

Students in Michigan Tech’s chapter of Medlife spent their spring break working in
Ecuador.

Medlife is an organization that partners with low-income communities in Latin America to
improve their access to medicine, education, and community development initiatives.

In Riobamba, Ecuador, the group spent the first two days learning about how people
in the rural areas work and live. The next four days they set up mobile clinics in
schools, empty buildings, or courtyards, and went to a town sitting at 12,000 feet
to work on a staircase-building project.

Medlife partners with low-income communities in Latin America to improve access to
medicine and education.

At the clinics the students rotated through specific stations including vital signs,
education, general medicine, dentistry, and gynecology.

They recorded patients’ height, weight, temperature and blood pressure, and taught
them preventative medicine for tooth decay, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The
students shadowed doctors to learn how they do medical treatment in developing countries
and also assisted in the treatment of patients.

Alexandria Marks helps children brush their teeth.

On project day they worked with locals to collect rocks, then carried them up and
down a mountain to create a staircase mold to later be filled with cement. With the
town sitting on a massive hill, the staircase was put in to help prevent the locals,
especially the elderly, kids, and pregnant women, from injuries when attempting to
trek it.

NSBE Members Recruit High School Students to STEM

While some students travel for adventure, others do it for the greater good. Once
again, in collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools, the Michigan Tech Chapter
of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) traveled to the Motor City over
Spring Break 2016 to offer free Family Engineering Nights at K-8 schools and engineering
presentations at high schools during the day.

Mechanical engineering graduate student Yomi Famuyiwa of Tech’s NSBE chapter says
Family Engineering Nights give students and their parents the chance to experience
common engineering problems and encourage them to develop creative solutions as a
team.

“The engineering presentations at the high schools are tailored to inform the students
about the potential career paths in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
fields,” Famuyiwa explains. “We encouraged the students to attend college and ideally
pursue STEM majors.”

Famuyiwa says he enjoys the alternative spring break experience “because of the impact
we can have on the students. It’s one thing for the students to be encouraged by their
teachers to consider engineering or going to college. It’s another for minority college
students who are actually studying engineering to take the time to come down to speak
with the students about it. The students see real-life proof that anything they set
their minds to is possible.”

While the University of Michigan retained the top spot in the second annual SmartAsset
study, Michigan Tech was 2nd out of 29 public and private colleges ranked statewide.
Both cost about $26,000 to attend in-state (annual tuition of $13,142 and $13,728
respectively, in 2014, plus roughly $13,000 each in annual living costs), while average
starting salaries were $58,000 and $62,800, respectively.

The National Science Foundation has released its annual research spending report,
and Michigan Tech has moved up in its rankings. Of 634 institutions that received
research funding in 2014, Tech received $68.5 million, ranking 163rd overall nationwide.
The University ranked 117th among public institutions.

Mechanical engineering research at Tech received $13.1 million in research funding
in 2015, ranking 19th in the nation. Atmospheric science—a new interdisciplinary category—received
$3.1 million and ranked 34th.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than
7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than
120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering,
forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and
social sciences. Our campus in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway
and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.

Huskies on Social Media

Back Where it Belongs

The MacNaughton Cup is back home in the Copper Country this weekend as our WCHA champs
take on Alaska in a best of three playoff series. Come on out to the John MacInnes
Student Ice Arena and cheer on our Michigan Tech Huskies. #HuskyPride

We asked . . . Where's the craziest place you've run into Michigan Tech alumni?

#MichiganTech alumni around the world! Luke Grossman ‘15 recently traveled to Liberia
where he by chance met John Bleah ’77 over breakfast at a mission compound. The pair
swapped stories about the Upper Peninsula and their alma mater before posing for a
photo in Tech gear.

The Crack Heard 'Round the World—er—in da Yoop, at Least

The Menominee Crack opened up in October 2010 and now researchers from Michigan Tech have determined
it is a geologic pop-up structure.